In the News

Queen's University Faculty of Law just wrote this very good article about our show and Justice Brownstone:

"Justice Harvey Brownstone, Law '80, host of the hit talk show "Family Matters"

Judges never speak out on the laws they interpret – but Justice Harvey Brownstone, Law '80, did that with his book Tug of War, which spent 13 weeks on the national best-seller list and is in its fifth printing. In April 2010 he became the world’s first and only sitting judge to host an Internet TV talk show. On “Family Matters,” he educates the public on a wide variety of issues relating to family law, the justice system, relationships, parenting and the well-being of children."

Ontario judge’s showmanship leads to TV series

JUSTICE REPORTER— From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Sep. 07, 2011 8:12PM EDT

Last updated Wednesday, Sep. 07, 2011 8:16PM EDT

"The country’s most media-savvy judge is going prime time.

After testing the boundaries of judicial timidity with an Internet talk show and a best-selling book on marital strife, Judge Harvey Brownstone will push the traditional role of the judiciary still further next week with a daring television series on family law."

The Star's story on childhood obesity - can children be removed from the home or parents lose custody because their kids are obese?Justice Brownstone points out that there must be VERY strong evidence of neglect to remove a child for this reason. A very interesting topic...

1. What would you as a judge tell parents before their children are in court?

2. Why should family court litigation only be used as a last resort for families?

3. What are the alternatives to family court litigation?

4. What are some misconceptions about the justice system that falsely lead parents to believe that they can effectively conduct litigation themselves in court?

5. What is ‘parental alienation?’

Don’t miss this fascinating interview with Judge Brownstone!

Here’s some background information about this great guest:

Justice Harvey Brownstone became a lawyer in 1983, and began his career as a Legal Aid lawyer. In 1989 he joined the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General as lawyer enforcing child support orders, and became Director of the Support Enforcement Program in 1991. He was appointed a judge in Ontario in 1995 and presides at the North Toronto Family Court.

Justice Brownstone is the only real sitting judge in the world to host his own online talk show, called “Family Matters”, which can be seen at www.familymatterstv.com. The show features a number of prominent guests in the fields of law, social work, mental health and education, with a view to educating and enlightening the public on a variety of topics dealing with relationships, families, parenting, the justice system, and the well-being of children.

To learn more about Privacy Piracy- visit www.kuci.org/privacypiracy- listen to previous interviews, download podcasts and see upcoming VIP guests.

'The movement reached a high water mark last year when Mr. Justice Harvey Brownstone of the Ontario Court of Justice wrote a best-selling book on family law. This fall he went a step further, launching an Internet talk show, familymatterstv.com, that gets about 50,000 hits a day.

The novelty of a charismatic judge speaking in colourful terms about the strengths and weaknesses of the justice system made Judge Brownstone an overnight media star.

“I never, ever anticipated that the media would latch on to the book the way they did,” Judge Brownstone said. “I was on about 200 radio and TV talk shows in the first six months.

“When I became a judge, the culture was very clear,” he added. “You did not speak to the media. Ever. Judges were also very reluctant to speak out in a public way lest people think they were speaking for the whole judiciary.”'

Excellent article all about our host, Justice Harvey Brownstone's life, his book, and his new show."As if being an openly gay judge is not enough of a distinction, Brownstone, 54, is also remarkable in his outspokenness about the things that makes family law so exasperating for everyone involved. The familial language of love, hate, bitterness, abuse, redemption and revenge does not fit neatly into the system’s language of motions and stays."

The courts should be a last resort for most parents who are breaking up, says Ontario Court Justice Harvey Brownstone.

"For the vast majority of couples, going to court creates a war when you need to make peace with each other for the sake of the children," said Brownstone, who was been a family court judge for about 15 years.

Brownstone, author of the book Tug of War: A judge's verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities of Family Court, was in Sudbury on Monday afternoon to deliver a speech. He was the keynote speaker at the Children's Community Network's annual general meeting at the Howard Johnson.